Regional Description: Riding in Iceland

Horseback riding on Icelandic horse - © Dagur Brynjólfsson from Hafnarfjordur, Iceland - 271 Happadís frá Stangarholti, CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence

Iceland is very popular among horse riding people. Not only because of the Icelandic horse breed which is very special, but also because of the beautiful countryside the island Iceland offers. You will find marvellous beaches dominated by so called fjords. And you will be able to visit and see active vulcano on the island. The country is geologically very young, there are many active geysers. The geyser is by the way named after the so called "Great Geysir", which is a geyser in the southwestern part of Iceland. The country has a population of about 350.000 people. Most of them live in bigger villages and cities and of course in the capital city of Iceland, in Reykjavík. The country has a size of about 100000 square kilometers and there are miles of areas where nobody lives and where you will find no house and no street.

In the middle of Iceland there is the icelandic highland, which is nearly not populated. The climate of Iceland is sub-polar oceanic. The north atlantic current leads to generally higher temperatures on Iceland compared to many other places at a similar latitude on the world. The temperature is between minus 5 and plus 5 degrees Celsius during the winter period and raises up to about 10 to 15 degrees in summer. The warmest period in Iceland is during july and august. But back to the Icelandic horse breed. The horses are special, they are mostly used for horseback riding and are great for kids and adults in the same way. One other use for the horses in Iceland is for traditional shepherding in the rural county. The breed is developed in Iceland and it is possible to take Icelandic horses out of Iceland, but it is not allowed to come back with them. This is a regulation to avoid deseases.

The horses are robust and in addition to the well known gaits walk, trot and canter, Icelandic horses can also be ridden on a four-beat lateral ambling gait known ans the »Tölt«. On one side this is known for its explosive acceleration of speed like you may have seen with electric cars. On the other side the »Tölt« is great to ride, because it is comfortable and ground-covering. The horse does not jump, it always has legs on the ground during the whole period of riding. The breed of Icelandic horses also performs the so called »Pace«. This is a gait that is smooth and fast, you can reach up to 30 miles per hour which is about 48 kilometers per hour on pacing races.

Many icelandic riding stables not only offer great tours with horses. Of course you can have a great experience in riding out to the countryside. But you can also learn and have lessons in dressage or even show jumping with the horses. If you do not want to contact one of the riding stables, you can also ask a local tourist office or a specialised travel agency. There are travel agencies offering special programs for people who want to go horseback riding in Iceland.

An important notice for everyone who wants to go horseback riding on Iceland. If you want to bring your own riding pants and riding boots and riding clothes, be aware that you might have to disinfect the clothes before coming to Iceland. There are very strict regulations on everything being in contact with Icelandic horses. So if you want to bring your own horse riding clothes, ask first the riding stable owner, what the regulations exactly mean to you. Whips, saddles, bridles, chaps and other used leather gear for horseback riding may not be brought into the country!